Flexible gate valve



Oct. 20, 1953 L F1o FANTZ 2,656,143

FLEXIBLE GATE VALVE Filed Nov. 13, 1951 IN VEN TOR.

AT T ORNEYS Patented Oct. 20, 1953 l FLEXIBLE GATE VALVE Fred C. Fantz, Lima, Ohio, assignor, by mesne assignments, to The Lunkenheimer Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application November 13, 1951, serial No. 255,925

2 Claims.

This invention relates to valve gates in which i sections of metal are employed which` may be relatively thin in relation to the pressures and temperatures served by the valves. This invention is a continuation inpart of my co-pending` patent application, Serial No. 713,878, filed December 4, 1946, entitled Flexible Valve Gate, which is now abandoned.

Valves which are utilized in piping for fluids of high temperature or pressure are subject to ystructural deformations during prolonged use, as

a result of metal warpage, gradual relief of initial stresses, metal creepage, or the physical strainr to whichmetal sections in the valves are subjected in the piping installation. Deformations of the metal of the valve causes misalignment of the valve seat and its mating gate, regardless of how accurately they were machined or ground to t initially. Since gate valves of the type to which the invention relates are frequently used to control the flow of fluids which are at very high temperature, or under very high pressure, or both, lt is apparent that the valve gates mus-t close perfectly,` and that not even the slightest leakage can be tolerated. j Y

The present invention solves the problem just discussed by providing a novelr all-metal valve gate which is highly rigid in relation to the line pressures encountered but which is suiiiciently flexible when subjected to the valve closing pressure to yield suiiiciently to compensate for any valve seat misalignment or warpage which may develop during the period of usage of the valve. The said flexibility or yieldability or resiliency of the gate is a function of the physical struc,- ture of theV gate and, hence, does not, require the utilizationof any particularly novel metal alloy. In fact, gate Vvalves may be fabricated in accordance with this invention from any desired type of metal provided the metal has the rigidity and durabilityfrequisite to withstand the pressure and/or temperature encountered bythe valve in service; and is not so brittle as to crack when flexed'to the degree requisite compensate for misalgnment of the valve seats.

Preferably, the gate valve structure is such that vflexing metal deformation, which may occur'in the. valve closing, takes place in thoseportions ofthe valve gate which were intended and constructed to iex. Further, the structure of the valve, gate is such that the intended yieldability is uniformly available over the entire area which engages thevalve seats, whereby maximum accommodation of dimensional variationv is accomplished. Y

2 Other objects and further advantages will be better understood in relation to a description of the drawings in which:

Figurel is a fragmentary sectional elevation I through the body portion of a gate valve having a valve gate constructed in accordance with the present invention. Since the details of the valve screw, packing, handwheel, and the like may be ofconventional design and form no part of the present invention, such details have been omitted from the drawing,

The structure shown in the drawing comprises a hand wheel l5 which is mounted at the top of the valve in a conventional manner so that rotation of the hand Wheel translates the stern` up venience, the valve housing itself may be made by assembling castings, forging, or stampings and securing them together by welding. Neither the over-all shape of the valve housing nor its method of fabrication are critical but for the purpose of reducing possible leakage to minimum the all-welded structure is preferable, and the novel valve gate of this invention is particularly intended to compensate for latent distortion which is quite apt to occur in valve structures.

f, The pipe ends and the housing may be subjected to considerable stress by the weight oi adjacent piping or by thermal expansion of the pipe line which tends to misalign and warp the valve seats. Such alignment and similar disalignment which might result from warpage, metal creepageV or relief of internal metal stressesare Vcompensated for by the Vstructure of the valve -gate as subsequently described. Y r

- As disclosed `in the drawing, the valvergate' core or connector piece or central member 26 isy attached tothe stem I6 by suitable means, such as a threaded connection and pin 21. The Valve posed an annular disc 30 which is secured to the stub by means of annular welds` 3l. The disc seats do not extend outwardly any substantial distance;V and there is clearance between the' discs andthe valve gate core both at the rims 2 of the discs and inwardly to the disc seats. This clearance permits movement; of the disc rims relative to the core, each portion of the rim of each disc being subjected to equal pressure due to the attachment of the discs to the valve gate core at their centers.

The discs shown inv Figure 1 are of uniform thickness Athrong'llout,:except "as the rirns theme selves maybe ground' toiprovide planar surfaces? The discs may be fabricated from plate metal 0.f

deforming operations to provide cupping-to what@ ever extent may be desired. The annular discs are fabricated from metal which i'siiotfbritti Whichwill yield or ex responsively:toitliefpresf 10 uniform thickness, by forging or other metal sure exerted by the valve gate operating meclia" nism or handwheel. While-thecuppingma'y notV be strictly vnecessary as a matter of geometric theory, it is desirable in practice in orde'to*prod vide each disc with a discreet rim which is ground to?. engageitscoepeinatngf:valve seat,^`fv`/i`tieut` a resultantammiarfldepression; at-ther-irns' which gate fuere?- thatE the-:entr dehnitery fspacedrrem: tfne'valve'igatefcorel land portinnoflt freeito with the' portieri ofthe.` Thewalvefclesn'gnpness `firsete' the valve gate core or connector-pieceiandthrouzgh itftoitlrecerrters-rcr the discs' se'zthatmneirercefor leverage :is exertedeedualrlylrto :aalpoiftiensacrffthe rimss'ofzthe discsgcii.

lh'eface's-ofth'e'rlms o'rithe discsareimachined or greundt to 'mater wthithei' valve".y seatszat-'vthe time Ittre-'1valves-rarefrtabricated, and' .the rim' of eachl discficornpr'ises Farr/:annular planar surface of'greaterfiameter than tirata'of eachzvalveseat sothat the discs .may rslitlezdewnwardly ibetween tlrel-'zvalveiseatseinfa'ce.tcace engagement with them: llfhusgithewalve; mayibe :closed by manip#v ulation of the hand Wheel until full engagement' offtheidisbrrims'f'arrd valvezsseatsfis accomplished over theffullicircumferencertlrereol;` regardless-:of

Y minorr-fdistortionseand- :misalig-mnents fWhichx-*are stubsv extend .intofapertureserfintheudiscs which,

abut:thelpertionsaefvthe centra-l,A member.irrnrxe diatelyg- :about fthestubsnand the elements iare Weldedf.-tog-ether. The ri-mrfofceachvdisc, lcioizvever,V isffspaced-f-fromethe centraltmemberesosthataitfisfree'ftor-articulateinsrespectto it,to.eaccornnfiedate5 clesingl-.the valvef-isaapplied/to thefdiscsthrough thecentral. lnenibensof.thatthe-forceY isitransl.

mit'tedwtoethedisc-centerssandS hencelequallysto all parts of the rims of the discs in order to effect full vannular engagement of the disc rims with their cooperating annular valve seats. The metal of the discs is so chosen in relation to the disc thickness and in relation to the eiectve pressure exerted at the disc rims that the discs Will flex or yield in resilient fashion (as distinguished from plastic .-defom'atibn) whereby theirvalye gate, While a' single" integral allveldedstructure, still ,has the capacity continuously to accommodate itself to valve seat irregularities or misalignments a5hey1may develop during the continuing use of the valve.

1; A glatejof a gate valve comprising, a pair of spacedmtal'd'i'ss'of similar configuration and uniferm:crossfsection in radial direction, each disc having a central aperture therein and a connector'pece having disc centering stubs projecting outwardly from opposed faces thereof, the saids'tub'sl extending? substantially `vv-itlj-rrA the respectivapertures 'ai'dfd-iscs` `o`glipesed-'faciall portrrsief-fsaid '0- e'ctorpiecef which" arean# nularly adjacent' said f stubsE residin'g in 'facial abutment witht pertie'n'-sofj saldi respective dises whicl-iare annulagi adjacent said `apertu'resand the said-dises and-connector Vpiece-being*inV fluid-- tight welded connection, said-connector jpieeevl'ialving --valve-I sternv attachment means "intermediate said'A dists; arigl`l saidifdisls ljlavirig` opposed valve seatlengagingv-p'ertierisresiding"substantially eut- Wardl-y ebeyo'nd the'enieasof vengazgeni'ent `of the said t-fis` '."s=aridj connectorpiece; yield'ablte relatinsftheret;

1.2i AA' gatefbr a )gatevalve--comprising'a p er ofspacednietal discs'off similarrconfigura'tiorf andi uniform cross seetlioi'rinradiardireetion; ea'erriisc havingiazcentralf--apertuifewherein;- andn a con,- nector--Ipiece-'havirig disCHQ'e'n'tering"stulv'sIk pfroec'tingtputwardiyfrem tippes ed-A faces thereof', faire said stubs'l extendrigesubstanti'ally Withi'nithe respectiveLaperturesfof said discs; opposed :facial 

